Lying in a Virgin's Wait
by Skullosaurus
Summary: Vaan decides that he needs to leave his home, Rabanastre, in order to live his life. His childhood friend Penelope would only stop him, so he chooses to not inform her of his departure. During his travel however, he soon finds out he may not yet be cut out for the world. That is when a certain space pirate comes to the rescue.
1. Chapter 1

[ _AN_ : A bottomVaanxtopBalthier ficlet. It's also on Archive of our own  
and I've decided to reformat it so that it is easier to read.  
It's a rather new idea and the making will be slow too!]

* * *

[ _Summary_ : Vaan decides that he needs to leave his home, Rabanastre, in order to live his life.  
His childhood friend Penelope would only stop him, so he chooses to not  
inform her of his departure. During his travel however, he soon  
finds out he may not yet be cut out for the world.  
That is when a certain space pirate comes to the rescue.]

* * *

Vaan ignored the tuft of hair that lay across his face. Huffing, sweating and bleeding from his arm, the boy ignored the pain and the exhilaration that made his body tremble. Gripping the small makeshift dagger he had, he waited for his opponent to make a move.  
The giant rat, standing aloof meters before him, continued to be silent, whiskers on his large shifty nose the only part of it moving. Silence dragged on and Vaan could see no opportunity to get an upper hand over the beast.  
Scowling, he knew he'll have to waste much time later disinfecting his growing number of wounds. He'll never hear the end of it from Penelo, who will with no doubt find out that he had managed to steal away into the sewers once again and gotten hurt.

But Vaan knew he wouldn't let Penelo's worry stop him. He wished to explore the world and hopefully own his very own airship. He wanted something beyond searching for treasure in the Giza Planes, running errand within the town.  
His rebellious dream wouldn't come true if Vaan kept shut in inside Rabanastre, letting his youth be squandered away by doing nothing. He needed to learn to fight and defend himself, so that when the time came, he could manage the sand seas, the plains and mines, to travel through the Nabreus Deadlands and simply enjoy the exciting life an adventurer could have- no, a sky pirate could have.  
To do this however, the blond boy knew he would need to leave Penelo behind. He believed his yearning to go would not be understood by the girl, so he knew that he had to prepare to leave her behind.

Wiping his brow, Vaan accidently smeared blood across his forehead, not realizing he had a deep gash on his hand. This was after all, a deciding battle; he had little time to check himself over during combat.

Blade in hand, he stepped toward the silent creature. Perhaps it was trying to trick him, playing some kind of maneuver that could throw down Vaan's barrier. Aged 17, Vaan ignored the notion. The blade sliced the furred arm, and the rat screeched. The pink tail caught Vaan's leg and he stumbled, regaining his posture in order to quickly avoid a slashing motion of the creature's claws.  
Cursing himself he felt his ankle ache and a dull but strikingly stark pain began to seep up his leg. Twirling the dagger, Vaan pressed the knife deep into the rat's side, the hilt roughening its skin. Screech reaching a louder resonance, Vaan held his ears and kicked it to make it shut up, it fell down on its side but continued to writhe in pain, emitting more loud noises.  
The noise was bad. Vaan knew that loud noises from beasts, especially pained noises, attracted not only bigger monsters, but humans as well. He had to shut it up, but no matter how long he kept delving the dagger into its chest, the noise became all the more shriller.  
He eyed his surroundings, the sewer entrance was still without any other beings. The boy stepped towards its head, the beady eyes shining at nothing particular, forearms whipping about. With a deft, yet hesitant slash, he slit the throat, looking away from the widening gash.

Although Vaan could stab the monsters without guilt, it was the finishing blows that egged on his guilt. A move like that kills any opponent, the same applying to humans. He touched his own neck, waiting until the gurgling sounds ceased. Once they did, Vaan turned around and looked at the dead creature. It was quite indeed dead. Crouching down, he let his hands rummage around the tuft-like dark fur, searching for anything of value.

Giant rat claws weren't especially valuable, neither were their bones or their tails. What was valuable about them was that they sometimes carried what seemed to be precious stones encased in their skin. They are simply of a systemic lupus erythematosus cause, the disease causing horrific skin mutations in the rats due to their habitat, forming these stony substances that many rich humans took to wearing them as lace around their neck, especially in Rabanastre, where richer gems were not as common.

Vaan gave a gasp of delight when he brushes his fingers over one of these hard bubbles, its color a deep blue, aligned with little pebbles that broke through the skin. Still gripping his dagger, the boy cracked his knuckles and set to work, cutting the substance free from the rat's body. Once finished, he held them up to his face, wrinkling his nose at the smell. They were quite pretty, the color unique and alluring. He stared at them briefly before slipping them into the inner pocket of his vest. He would sell them later on the underground market, if any of the guards caught him with these jewels they would be confiscated without a doubt, all of his hard work in vain.

Slightly shaking of exhausting, he got up from his position. He checked up on himself, realizing the searing pain in his hand as well as the blood flow that had enveloped his hands. His feet shook slightly; his ankle was turning blue with dark spots. Sighing, he got out a small hand towel, cleansing his hand of the blood, stopping the blood flow of the gap. He wrapped the cloth around his ankle to cover the bruise and checked himself over again to make sure it wasn't too painfully obvious he had taken a toll down in the sewers.  
Glancing at the reflection of himself in the sewage water, he quickly wiped the red from his brow. A small smile found its way onto his face, he truly believed no one would be able to expect Vaan to achieve this small feat, a feat which will help him grow and get stronger. They will never see the day coming, when the boy would finally leave his home. Turning away from the body, he made his way down the pathways and back up the stairs into the underground.


	2. Chapter 2

[ _AN:_ Apologies for any grammatical errors, I don't have spellcheck atm.  
Anyway, Balthier will show up soon enough, but it will take a while until the next chapter comes out.  
Monster gore upcoming!]

* * *

[ _Summary_ : Vaan makes his way out into the world, however he struggles  
to match the harshness of the real deal adventure he is about to begin.]

* * *

Vaan's intentions wasn't leaving Penelop behind, no not at all. He knew he would never exit Rabanastre with her favor, and he knew she wasn't ready to join him either. They live above Migelo's sundries, Migelo who had been their caretaker until they turned 17. The small appartment wasn't spacious, so it wouldn't take long for one of them to begin arguing, and from arguing they'd continue on to fighting.  
It became routine, so much that Vaan began to distance himself from his close, sibling-like bond with Penelo. It took its toll of course; the quiet passing of time they shared after fighting would set somberly over the two of them. And Penelo was aware of the connection between them fraying.  
Vaan did his best to cheer her up, to prove to her that his decision to leave wasn't rash undertaking.  
And when he came back one night, limping on one leg, she knew the decisive moment had come, just as the blond boy unwrapped the blue stones. Presenting them to her, he grinned sheepishly, awaiting her response.  
The mere sight shook her. She knew the implications of the gems. Vaan would have never bought them for her. He had collected them himself from the sewer system, meaning he was able to fight the giant rats, and although he received wounds during the battle, he had succeeded with high spirits. Penelo took a deep breath. She could only vividly imagine Vaan dying in the Cerobi Steppe, or on one of the longwinded dunes of the Giza Plain, his little victory in Rabanastre would not suffice for preparations in a world so filled with monsters as well as the two empires, Archadia and Rozarria, who are at war.  
She slapped the gift from his hands, giving him the most broken expression. The stones clattered to the floor, falling beneath a nearby table, Vaan stopping down to recollect them.  
"Out."  
The blond boy looked up, the blue light of the stones glittering in the dim lights hanging from the ceiling.  
"I said out."  
Penelo's hardened gaze softened at Vaan's frown. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for him to leave. At least, what good would it do for him to stay?  
"I think it's time for you to go."  
Rabanastre at night could be a dangerous place, most of the guards stuck to pacing back and forth in the North End. Muthruu Bazaar would open a few more inconspicuous tables, however the city stayed mostly vacant. Sinister shadows would lick the doorways and the nooks and crannies of the street, staying away from the light coming from the posted street lamps. Lowtown was relatively secure and consisted of a friendly atmosphere throughout day and night, since many children roam the area, albeit the sewers below present a completely different scenario. All of the street shops were closed.

It left Vaan alone; alone with his equipment from earlier as well as a meager bag with personal belongings. He hadn't said his goodbyes to the many people he knew and held close, but the blonde boy knew this was the one chance he had to finally begin the journey he had dreamed of since he could remember. The deserted East End only helped fill his chest with the vague anticipation of a beforestanding mysterious pilgrimage. He only had about 1k gil on him, yet he felt his muscles itch with spirit. Letting himself skip until he reached the plaza with the fountain, Vaan decided to rumage in his bag to bring out his map of Ivalice.

The only notable locations the blonde boy could make out was Archades, all the way in the north, Mt. Bur-Omisace to the south-east and Balfonheim to the east. The dim lighting cast upon the parchment didn't help Vaan to take a reasonable decision, he felt unsure for a short moment. He took a seat on the concrete bench lining the fountain and mumbled to himself.  
If he were to go raid and plunder old treasuries and cities long since dead, he'd need the proper equipment and in order to achieve that, he'd require gil. The best place to obtain gil would be Archades, and only there because although Vaan knew he would never work for the Archadian empire, he'd simply love to do what he does best with their unsuspecting, rich civilians: steal. That settled it, and the way directed on the map was to leave the Eastgate of the city of Rabanastre into the Dalmascan Estersands, towards the Nalbina Fortress and past the Phon Coast and Tchita Uplands. Plenty of road to cover, plenty of monsters to fight, and as such, plenty of experience to gain. Vaan heard tale of something called the Barheim Passage located in the Estersands, said to contain many riches, all behind locked gates. With a grin, the boy rolled up the map and stuck it back into his bag. He knew an easy route through Lowtown and the Garamsythe Waterway. Going over his equipment, he made sure to check on his potions and to wipe the dagger in his sheath, the case of it stained with misuse and flecks of dried rats' blood.  
Sitting on the cold slab of stone, Vaan took a moment to breathe in deeply, to examine the sky above. With a start, he swung himself onto his feet, trying to supress the giddyness trying to get ahold of him.  
Vaan set out through Lowtown, the corridors were quiet and the lighting had been darkened. Heading north, he passed the Traveling Merchant until he came upon the locked stairway. Fumbling with the short wire from one of his many little pockets, the lock clicked.  
Closing the gate behind him, the blonde boy reset the lock, making sure it faced the corridor of Lowtown. Turning around he took another deep breath, and set forth into the sewer system.

Leaving the initial room, Vaan came upon a immense room with various canals running into different areas blocked by elongated gates. Switches on pedestrals stood in the middle of the space. Stepping up to the machinery, the blonde idly played with the different switches, his aim to open a gate to the east so that he could take the shortest way towards the south, where the secret entrance to the Barheim Passage lay.  
It didn't take long until after what seemed like an eternity of a variety of gates opening and closing to the west, the route which faced directly east opened. With an excited jump of joy, Vaan took off in a jog, down the pathway that lay between wall and water. Rounding the corner, he ran smack into the slimey substance that coated the surface of a gigantic Gigantoad, a creature of distinct smell and largeness. While the being emitted a gutteral galumph sound from its vibrating esophagus, the boy surpressed his urge to regurgitate what ever was left in his stomach. Quickly stepping back on slight unsteady feet, he unsheathed his dagger while whiping the mucus off his face in a dramatic gesture of disgust. The horned beast's predatory croaking ceased as the beady eyes settled on the smaller form before it, the gigantic clawed paws of the thing scratched the floor in burgeoning aggression.  
While Vaan was shaky from the sudden clash, he felt his doom was sealed when the loud twittering of a Steeling caught his attention, and apparently it had sensed him as well. The uncanny brown bat flapped over the rushing water toward them, just as one of the Gigantoad's paws striked the air where the young boy had stood a moment before.

"Oh boy." Vaan moaned under his breath.

Evading another lunge of the gross croak, Vaan slid along the wall, dragging his dagger into the side of the beast. Another wave of gutteral anger shook the monster as it waddled on its amphibian extremities, the lone bat stuck behind the wall of excreting mucus. The toad crashed its side against the wall, effectively knocking all of Vaan's breath out of his thin body, nearly squishing him. Struggling against the force pinning him, he dug the dagger repeatedly into the skin of the amphibian, until the blood that littered the floor soaked through Vaan's clothing and hit the wall.

As the beast passed its last reproachful sonance, its body flopped onto the opposite side, the weight of the thing pulling it over the side of the pathway and into the waterway. Thus, before Vaan could take a breath, the Steeling was over him. With a flash of white, the flat furry creature swooped down and slashed the young boy's arm as well as his already injured leg. Crying out in pain, he rashly swung his fist against the bat, throwing it back, before stabbing into the air, piercing the animal with a squeak. Shaking the limp body off of the blade onto the ground, Vaan groaned and sank down onto the floor as well.  
Closing his eyes, he was reminded of how he hadn't slept or eaten yet, the tiredness of the battle settling over him like fog over marshlands. He struggled to sit upright, checking his surroundings to find no threats, then he went over his arm and his leg, feeling the wounds. While there was little bloodshed on his part, the cuts hurt enough to make Vaan take out one of his potions.

He had originally planned on being careful of using his small supply, but he shrugged off any worries and chugged the glass down before swiftly throwing it into the waterway. Feeling the potion's magic work on his lacerations and his state of being winded, Vaan got to his feet, brushing over the injuries as well as trying to ignore the aweful stench coming from his own body.  
Walking farther down the route, the blonde came across his first treasure chest, and felt his chest bubble lightly with the happiness of being rewarded for his strenuous effort in battle. Destroying the casket, he found a potion, and felt his mood sink back down into the murky water of the sewers. Continuing on, he found several more caskets filled with potions and ethers, however his discovery of a longsword and an armor piece, which he immediately equipped, made him feel delighted about his choice of leaving Rabanastre all the more strong. While continuing on, Vaan passed several groups of Ichthon, beautiful piranhas with blue, white and red colorations of wings, who were thankfully of a peaceful nature.

Shortly before arriving at the entrance to the Barheim Passage, Vaan mused about not meeting any of the mystical creatures some people in Lowtown had theorized of when he heard a sweet song play through the murky water. Climbing down the stairs and into the water, the boy curiously investigated the path, since it lay in his route anyway. The vile water met halfway up to his knees and tugged sluggishly at his movements.

His heart rocketed into his mouth when the supposed sweet song turned into a beastial rumble at his feet. Two dark nostrils poked out of the water, until the water surged upwards, cascading off the long body of a Baritine Croc in strands of pearls. Vermillion fur dangled from the gator's body, clumped together due to the wetness and the large snout, which slowly began to snarl and widen. Emitting a strangled sound, Vaan decided to take off as fast as he could, not intending to battle this monster quite yet. Huffing at the strain of running through high leveled water, Vaan reached the safety of the entrance, leaving the aggressive monster behind a thick doorway.  
Clutching his chest, the boy calmed himself down, before smacking himself in the face. The adrenalin left him shaking worse than after his battle with the giant toad and he felt regret and bitterness swell inside him.  
Infront of the boy lay a wide space, filtered light coming from above the rafters. No monsters present, Vaan dragged his heavy feet toward one of the crooks in the walls and set his possessions down, making sure he was well hidden before cradling his head into the softness of his bag. Closing his heavy lidded eyes, the blonde let images of wealth and treasure flit through his mind, before finally dozing off.

A sudden loud smash woke Vaan from his dreams about eating Migelo's horrible cooking. Seeing only white at first, he hastily rubbed his eyes before quickly scanning his surroundings, a hand on the sheath of his new longsword. The crumbling rocks fell from the high ceiling, shadows flitting over the openings to cast the large room into darkness. Gathering himself up, the boy ignored his aching muscles, his aweful stench and slung his bag around his neck and set onwards, nervous about the meaning of the unforeseen ruckus.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Confrontation

* * *

Thank you for the support. More is definitely coming. Notify me if there are any mistakes.

* * *

Vaan exited the rounded room and entered a narrow passageway. A dark gold shine glowed from the walls, which started to collapsed with age, white crustings spotted the stone ground. Making hesitant steps, longsword in hand.  
Vaan checked his surroundings warily. The dark corridor was silent, only the sound of collapsing rock could be heard. The blonde advanced on through the pathway, but no other sound than his footsteps echoed. Vaan breathed deeply and relaxed; he expected to have faced an enemy ever since he entered, but it seemed as if the tunnels held no threat.  
"Those kids," he murmured, thinking about his younger friends in the city who had told him about thrives of monsters residing in every niche and shadows of the Barheim Passage.

Along the way Vaan found heaps of knots of rust as well as some gil. He found some potions, antidotes, eye drops and a phoenix down, all of which he stowed in his handy bag. In one particular chest, Vaan found a turtleshell choker, which he immediately equipped around his neck.  
Continuing on, Vaan came into a large room with a pillar in the midst. Wires clung from the ceiling and attached themselves to it. Murmured voices wafted through a narrow corridor upstairs. Vaan jumped, clutching his bag terrified of the sudden sign of life. Stepping even more carefully, Vaan continued on, making sure to calm his racing heart and to climb the stairs quietly.

Two human voices were arguing each other, a female and a male one. Glancing around the corner, the blonde glanced into the dark room that lay ahead but saw nothing except shadows.  
"Well, he should be holding onto that relic." A courteous young yet fancy male voice said.  
"It was the mysth that I sensed heavily, perhaps it was something else than what we're searching for," the female voice responded, steps clacking, "It is apparent that he was connected to what we are searching."  
"And now we must find the link… Alright, I can't say that this left us empty-handed."  
More footsteps echoed in the darkroom. Vaan hastily retreated, climbing down the staircase, jumping the railing and hiding himself behind a pile of old moldy boxes. Vaan prayed he acted fast and quietly enough. The two people descended the stairs.  
"I'd say this little thing could earn us a pretty penny alone, although the skeleton of that old rebel could fetch a fortune too."  
"We will not carry a skeleton, Balthier."

The male made a playful sound, and they continued down the stairs, coming into Vaan's range of sight. A tall Viera with long white hair and tall ears clad in extravagant black battlewear, equipped with a fancy bow on her back stopped near the pillar, a shorter man in a classy dress suit and fancy pants strapped with a fearsome pistol came to a stop next to her. Vaan felt his skin crawl and go cold with the silence that issued. The pair exchanged glances, the Viera's back turned towards Vaan. After a bit, the man smiled.  
"Oh, I can smell what you mean."

The man's eyes blinked and then directly looked into Vaan's. Skidding back, the blonde slumped against the the cracked wall, breath leaving him and eyes widening.  
"It is only a child." The Viera turned to look at the cornered boy. The man named Balthier grinned smartly and advanced towards the blonde.  
Vaan didn't know whether to be hostile or scared. While both of them made a fearful impression at first, it was obvious that they regarded Vaan's presence heartily. Vaan gripped the hilt of his longsword. Balthier didn't even glance at it.  
"Young children shouldn't be playing around in old mines. No matter how big their toy weapons might be."  
Vaan bared his teeth at the mocking tone and stood up to face the man.  
"Say that again, you graverobber!"  
The Viera made her way toward the both of them, regarding Vaan thoughtfully.  
"He's bathed in toad's blood." She remarked, her cool face regarding Vaan's face.  
"By the looks of it some of it might be his." Balthier checked the bloodied clothing, "Boy, how'd you get here?"  
"It's none of your business," Vaan snapped, "Who did you steal?"  
The man placed his hands on his hips, saying coolly, "That's none your beeswax either kid. Now I suggest we get going Fran, else we attract any more nasty creatures."  
They turned and headed away, Balthier, while walking, turned his head back and flashed a toothy smile at Vaan.

Vaan kicked one of the boxes near him as a response, which collapsed in itself. Making sure his bag was properly swung around him, he went up the stairs to quickly check the room in which the two had been at first.  
It was a corridor, collapsed in the middle with many boulders blocking the way. Perched on the rocks was a big cage, banged up and thrown open. By the smaller rocks on the floor lay a withered corpse, partially skeletonized. It's belongings have been rifled through and its frayed rotting clothing was strewn about. Vaan felt bile rise up his throat in agner. Those two, being as they were to Vaan as well as stealing from a corpse, didn't deserve any treasure.

Sudden clattering made Vaan jump once again, whipping around he quickly stepped to the staircase and peered down. Little robotic-like bugs were entering from the tunnels, attacking the electric cables as well as some of the moldy boxes.  
Gripping his sword, Vaan let his rage boil over. Throwing his bag over the railing and onto the ground, he bared his weapon and charged, yelling down the staircase at the nearest Mimic. Slashing at it widely, Vaan let himself cry out in pent up rage.  
Finishing off the Mimic in time to face two oncoming Mimics he managed to skewer one and avoid a bite from the other. Falling back, he swiped blindly at the other creature as two bats fluttered nearby. More sounds echoed through the tunnels. Distracted, Vaan didn't see one of the dark grey bats come close. The bat nipped his cheek, drawing pearls of blood. Surprised, Vaan flinched, and was knocked to the ground by a swing from a larger Mimic.

Holding his cheek, Vaan cursed himself. Getting back up onto his feet, he evaded another lunge and dashed for his way out of the room, past the aggressive beasts. Through the corridor he went, receiving little slashes and nicks from the creatures he squeezed past.

Breaking out in a sprint, Vaan followed the tracks, past more scurrying Mimics and awoken bats. Turning left, he continued to follow his path until he heard the thundering step of something large. Eyeing the front, Vaan sought to find out the location of it while stepping fast, and was nearly caught in the headbutt of a large dinosaur as it flanked him.

Screaming out in shock, Vaan sprinted as fast as he could toward the darkened tunnel ahead. Hearing slow, heavy footsteps quicken behind him, Vaan felt tears prick his eyes as his heart caught in his chest.

Rounding the corner into the tunnel, he entered a rocky, dark and purplish pathway, and nearly ran into one of the many present giant toads. Side stepping around the startled beast, Vaan felt desperation drive his adrenaline.  
He didn't know where he was going. it didn't help to hear a loud crash and heavy yet fast footsteps sound behind him. The giant lizard was still following him.

Choking, Vaan felt tiredness start to drag his feet down. Mounting the path, several bats descended upon him, cutting his bare skin. Ignoring the wounds, Vaan left the small biome and entered a large rounded room, similar to the first room he had entered once coming into the Barheim tunnel. At the far side was an entrance. It was caved in.

Something fell from Vaan's heart. He felt sickness momentarily catch him as he continued to run towards the closed exit. He was trapped. Turning around to face his followers, he shrank back against the rubble. The dinosaur entered the room, pushing loose rocks to make it easier to squeeze through the entrance.  
It differed greatly from the scene of the Barheim Passage, as it had a brilliant array of colored feathers, dusty from the rubble. Its eyes glinted, and its nose sniffed, eyes swiveling towards Vaan. The blonde desperately tried to find something, anything that could help him, before he would give up.

"Oh bother."

Jumping, Vaan felt his scruff being grabbed before he was slung to the side onto the ground.  
"That boy's foul stench attracted everything and led them right to us. We're trapped here. We have to fight."  
Vaan looked up in disbelief. Balthier and the Viera stood there, elegant and poised, facing the oncoming attacker. Both drew their weapons, aimed and with a loud crashing noise and a whirr, they shot at the beast with arrow and bullet.

* * *

The corpse is not Bash!


	4. Chapter 4

The battle lasted long. At first, the viera and Balthier managed to dance about the dinosaur, avoiding vicious snaps and swipes, however once the beast grew agitated with the duo's swiftness, it bellowed.

Vaan hastily threw off his bag, fearing the worst. The dinosaur's eyes lit up, it's predatory eyes swiveling to find its prey. Grasping his longsword, Vaan breathed in heavily, mustering as much strength and determination he could still foster inside him.

With a start, the blonde roared, rushing to his feet and sprinting towards the beast. Raising his weapon, Vaan saw in the corner of his eye as the Viera swiveled her head towards him, and how Balthier's eyes widened.  
Feeling exhilaration, the distance between target and attacker lessened, but before Vaan could even bring his sword down a strong updraft pivoted from around the dinosaur.

Sand and specks of dirt flew up in a heavy wind and pushed the young man back, who had to bring his arms up to shield his eyes. The draft took away all sight from all three of the party and the blonde in particular felt his knees grow weak as he heard the telltale gloating rumble closeby.

Falling back quickly, Vaan evaded a thick, clawed foot coming down harsh in front of him. Hearing a call from his right, he ran towards it, and the whirlwind lessened as he reached the outside. A cuffed hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him further, and Vaan could see the wall of the room.  
"Stay out of this, boy."

Balthier gave the blonde an annoyed glance, then let go of his hand and headed into the typhoon of yellow.  
Touching the cold wall, Vaan caught his breath and furrowed his brow in mutiny. Twirling his blade, he got back into the fray.

Carefully treading deeper and deeper into the heavy sandstorm he attempted his second barrage. Following the source of the deep rumbling noises, another clawed foot emerged suddenly. Grinning like a fool, Vaan bared his longsword and charged, stabbing square through the flesh.

The foot drew back, an enraged yet pitiful cry sounded from above. The entire room shook as the dinosaur receded and pounded the floor with it's heavy footsteps. Gravel fell from the ceiling and Vaan felt the little pebbles bounce off his cheek as he glanced up. The dusty wind cleared slowly, and as the blonde could finally see the other end of the room, he could distinctly see the beast standing still before him.  
Eyes widening, his back shivered.  
The dinosaur turned his back and broke through the already partially destroyed entrance. Out of site, the monster gave a shrill roar, before it's footsteps softened until nothing could be heard.  
Clacking sounded behind the young man, and he swiveled around.  
"You did a good job, for someone who shouldn't even be here."  
Balthier gave him a small smile, one that didn't mean much but was still honest. The viera nodded.  
Vaan gave a weak grin, but couldn't think of anything to reply. The female turned towards the brunette, as if forgetting Vaan was still there.  
"I don't believe we can make it out in one piece without resting."  
The man sighed, and simply shrugged, "I guess now's the best time to get catch some breath."  
Vaan interrupted, "Wait, you're going to camp now?"  
Balthier faced him with a frown, "Have something against that, boy? By the looks of it, we just saved you, and neither did we invite you to stay."  
The blonde bared his teeth at the hostility, but the viera prevented him from retorting.  
"Balthier, he is just a child. I believe it would be in your best interest to at least bring him out of harm's way."  
"Hm. I know."  
Spinning around, the man walked off, obviously meanspirited.  
"Ignore his temper. He does not want to overly friendly. My name is Fran."  
Vaan looked back at the viera, "Oh, uh. My name's Vaan."  
He stuck his hand out, but she didn't shake it, instead she fixed him with an intense gaze.  
"You smell."

 **…**

Vaan slumped against the wall and slid down to sit. Too much has happened so shortly for him to have any energy to think or feel about being stuck with a team of douchebags.

Instead, he closed his eyes momentarily, tiredness tugging at the lids. He opened them however, the image of the man slitting his neck while he slept crawled through his mind and caused the skin on his neck to shiver.

He glanced over at the two, who were putting aside their belongings and getting ready to rest as well. Fran was pulling her bow off as Balthier took off the belt strap for his gun.  
The man caught Vaan's eyes and smirked darkly. Vaan bared his teeth in response and glared in the opposite direction. The blonde rested his chin upon his knees and looked forward, trying to concentrate his mind on making a new plan, a plan to ditch the group and get out of the Barheim Passage.  
"I cannot stand that awful stench. Balthier, clean him up."

Vaan quickly looked at Fran, who was watching him with a frown, arms crossed.

"What, you want me to go near something that smells that bad? Very funny, my dear,"  
Balthier placed a small leather pouch next to his stuff while talking, "Tomorrow we'll be outside and forget about the whole thing."

Vaan glowered at him, not bothering to speak for his own defense.  
Fran's frown grew, "If you will not do anything about it, I will."

Both Vaan and Balthier stared at her, the younger one opened his mouth to argue, but changed his mind. The older one simply groaned.  
"Fran, you're too much of a lady. I'll do it. But only because it means so much to you," the brunette turned around and fixedly peered down at the blonde, "You heard the lady, go behind those crates and strip."

Gawking in response, Vaan raised his voice to yell back, "I won't, you disgusting lecher."  
"I believe you mean sensualist, boy, and no I do not want to see your dirty body. I'll simply give you some spare cloth we have."

Turning around, the brunette bent down to unpack one of the larger bags the two had brought with them. After shuffling around in it, he straightened up to showcase basic, simple civvies. Walking over to the blonde, the other pulled him by the arm up onto his feet by force and pushed him toward the tower of brown, old cartons.

Vaan kept his longsword by his side, shying away from the older man's hand. Cowering behind the makeshift screen, Vaan unbuckled the sword from his hip and propped it against the short wall, ready for him to grab if the man on the other side would decide to use this as a chance to attack.

The brunette laid the pile of clothing on the surface of the separation, giving Vaan a brief glare and then turning around to leave.  
Taking off his top, he replaced it with the new sanguine colored vest with cryx bane dyed straps. After hestitating a moment, the boy pulled his chunky boots off and peeled the now bloody pants off of him. Shifting through the clothing, he found boxers and mentally groaned. He'd never have imagined himself having to dress himself in clothes of questionably origin, given to him by people he couldn't trust. However the apparel wasn't bad, in fact it seemed to be of a better material than his own. He pulled off his underwear and put on the white boxers on.

Holding his new pair of pants up, he admired the umbral seams, the softness, before pulling it on as well. They puffed up at the thighs and tightened around the knees, and fit together with the black simple boots.  
Vaan couldn't help but smile when he checked himself out, turning around and eyeing how the civvies folded and flowed with his movement. Realizing he shouldn't be so happy because of the duo, he wiped the grin from his face and hooked his sword back to his waist.  
Walking around the cartons, Vaan held his head high, feeling both good for the new clothes and quite ashamed.  
Balthier's titer was too loud in the blonde's ears. As he walked towards the wall where the duo stood staring, he slumped.  
"Hm. Well, that's quite the change."  
Cheeks burning at the brunette's comment, Vaan pointedly ignored him and grabbed his bag, shuffling farther away from the two.  
Settling down, the blonde took to cradling his head on top of his bag and warily watching the party. After a while however, the heaviness in his eyelids won over Vaan's attentiveness and he drifted off into shallow sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Sleepiness became drowsiness, until Vaan's mind was filled with the mental image of thugs slicing necks. Eyes opening in a flash, the blonde jumped up, hand on the sheath of his longsword, but the only movement around him was that of the duo, farther away, who were packing their belongings together.

With a start, the young man remembered last day's events, and couldn't help but groan. He still felt exhilarated and tired; sleep hadn't helped him at all. Looking warily over towards the party, Vaan silently thanked them in all honesty for not killing him and stealing from his corpse.  
Balthier glanced over, and waved at him to come over. Begrudgingly, Vaan fumbled to grab his bag and himself from the ground and made his way toward the both of them.  
"We're heading out immediately. If you need, you can tag along, as long as you don't attract any more monsters."  
Vaan gave Balthier a sour face, and faced Fran, "If that's alright, sure. What if that dinosaur comes back though?"  
"We'll send it back to where it belongs." The female replied simply.  
The couple turned away and headed off, the cue to leave given. Vaan tagged along several steps behind them, knowing full well this would be the last time he would do so. In his mind he resolved himself to think that he wasn't depending on them to get out of the tunnel, but he still felt a little sting of embarrassment when the brunette yelled at him to catch up.  
Stepping through the darkened tunnels, the chilly air whistled past their bare arms and through their hair. The number of beasts roaming about had diminished since Vaan had raced through himself, but the little amount there was, was quickly taken down by the trio. Although the blonde played a part in the fighting, it was only a small one.  
Balthier and Fran lead the way until they finally arrived after a series of corridors outside and into the sun. The blinding light brought a temporary lack of vision, and until Vaan regained his sight, he basked in the warm and gentle cast of the sunlight. It seemed so long since he was out in the open again, and he welcomed the fresh air.  
"We part ways here. You can make it back to whatever hole you came from, can't you?" The brunette's voice shattered the comfortable cosy feeling Vaan was experiencing and the young man grimaced.  
"I'm not a kid."  
"Clearly you aren't a man as you didn't have the responsibility to prepare yourself before entering a dangerous area. Say what you may, but there is a difference between you and maturity."  
The blonde opened his eyes and glared at the older man, peeved beyond belief.  
"If you want a fight, I'll fight you."  
Fran once again stepped between them, wasting no time to stop either of them.  
"It is time to leave. Farewell." Holding up her hand shortly in parting, she and Balthier then started walking away from the exit of the passage.  
"I hope we never meet again, " he yelled after the retreating figures, "Grave robber!"  
Getting no response from the faraway figures as they passed over a sand dune, Vaan tightened his shoulder bag and pulled out the map. Taking a glance, he looked up to find his position, eventually folding the map up again and packing it away. Heading south, Vaan started his adventure anew, untarnished by the awkward and distressing mistake of taking a detour. Trying to shake the face of the fiendish man out of his mind, the blonde unsheathed his longsword and stepped toward the first of the many wolves he would have to take down along his way.

...

The impressive Nalbina Fortress came into sight as Vaan walked the long, sun cooked path toward it. The sun hung high in the middle of the sky, throwing long shadows onto the figures sharing the road with the blonde. Many carts pulled by Chocobos and bangaa's carrying goods could be seen far ahead and far behind the young man, and he took interest in counting the various shapes in the distance as he strolled.  
The towering castle gave off a strong impression of strength, however Vaan didn't bother to acknowledge the splendid albeit damaged fortress. It was there that his brother Reks was harmed, King Raminas assassinated and Prince Rasler shot down. Although it had been used mostly as a prison by Imperialistic forces, the streets were filled with merchants and an airship dock.  
It was there that Vaan sold off the materials he had found on his journey. Stealing behind the makeshift shops, he managed to pick up some more potions as well as a bracelet made of black and green coloured metal. A dark red dyed and short armed jacket caught his eye out of a pile of cheap cloth, and as his hand reached out, he felt the skin on his back prickle. Looking around, he saw blond, wild hair sway in the wind, the face staring straight back at him, a long gash gracing his forehead. The man was situated a mile away, covered in a dark green robe, but his eyes bore into those of Vaan's and he felt his mouth twitch, his fingers slowly closing around the red cloth. Sticking out his tongue, the young boy hastily pulled the jacket to him and made a dash for the dark little corridors between the renovated buildings and the crumbling houses.  
Eyeing the entrance to the corridor, Vaan waited until he was sure that no one was following before continuing down the path, taking left and right turns before reaching the main road leading out of the area.  
It had been a close call, and the blonde didn't want to risk running into the attentive man again. The stark, colorless eyes had dug the impression of a broken man into Vaan, one who was disapproving of what he was seeing. Following the path going north, Vaan pulled the jacket over his arms, enjoying the soft, cotton-like texture against his skin. He still had much land to cover, and the small break in the market at heightened his spirits.  
Sand turned to rough ground, on which light tufted grass grew and greenery flourished. The large dunes of the Estersand gave way to hilly rock formations crowded together to create small tunnels and openings through which Vaan climbed, in awe of the soft plantation and the naturally created rocky passes. Upon entering a crevice in between the rocks, Vaan was met by a moogle who was eagerly selling potions, weapons and armour to few other travellers on chocobos.  
Wallet lighter, Vaan fastened his simple platinum shield around his arm and tightened his grip on his Icebrand sword as he continued his venture through the Mosphoran Highwaste. After having shortly spoken to the people in the clearing, Vaan headed towards little niches hidden in the pathways constructed of minerals, past peaceful monsters. Following the advice from the strangers, Vaan managed to scour a ruby ring, magick gloves, a diamond armlet and a nishijin belt. Applying the variety of accessories, Vaan whistled cheerfully as he eyed his newly acquired loot. His spirit was soaring, the flashy gold and metals only adding to his spiritual high. It took much control to pace himself and crawl through the small crevices in the walls and passages as he went north.  
Lean wolves, thin yet tall and deadly snakes festered in every crack of rock and blocked all the roads. The land seemed to reach upwards, towards a pinnacle of some sort, but as Vaan passed through, he had no trouble putting down the monsters that crossed his path. If he had to deal with them in clusters, there'd be an issue, but as the blonde was sneaky enough, he easily managed to evade them.  
Vaan made his way through the restricted pathways of the Mosphoran Highwaste, making sure to enjoy the beautiful nature and rest from the stressful ordeal back in the Estersands. This would change as the narrow pathway he followed lead him into the dense forestry of the Salika Woods…  
...

Salika Woods, with its wooden plank bridges and walkways rose high above the ground, the thick bases of trees the size of houses, the branches reaching out far into the sky with no end to see. The air was thick, and it was dead quiet. Vaan made his way uneasily down the passages, for a time long not seeing much besides the leafy vines that sprouted out of the trees and merged with the woodworks.  
The first sign of life that came into view was none too pleasant. Something akin to a mass of purple tentacles writhed about, a crown lying atop the mound of slithering thing. A huge gaping mouth lined with sharp teeth, the being moved around, some of the tentacles looking upwards, and Vaan could see that there were eyes at their ends. With one glance he knew that he would not be able to take this foe on, but that didn't mean he couldn't try.  
Icebrand in hind, his shield in the other, Vaan charged forward, ready to tackle his way through the thing and continue on his track to Archades. This of course was a mistake.

Out of breath, the young man leaned against the bark of the huge tree on which the bridge was hinged on. It had taken all of Vaan's strength to struggle away from the monster, run away past even more monsters, and get them off his tail as well. He hadn't been left unblemished either, for even though the potions could take away the pain, the markings over his skin would stay until healed or taken care of. The thing's bad breath had caused him to feel ill, his eyesight to swim and for his feet to drag over the ground. It was a miracle that even though the being's lunges spawned a number of blue spots on the boy's body, he had escaped with his life. Now it was a matter of time for him to recover his agility, and his head.  
Shaking his head, his blonde hair a mess starting to dreadlock, he thought of the other monsters he had passed while running. He had no idea where he was, but he had seen a variety of things dotted amongst the plank walkways: Humanoid beings with some sort of filtering masks, their skin greenish and their shoulders bulky, then there were huge mantis-like monsters with milky white skin, glaring red eyes and sharp huge claws. Huffing with the release of tension, he was glad he hadn't bothered to fight any of those at all. All he had to focus on from now was to not engage in any of the enemies, but slinking behind the lines was made nearly impossible with the lack of obstacles in this place. Only answer to his problem was to run.  
And he did so, keeping to every right he made, he managed to spurt pasts clusters of the white mantis-like beasts, groups of foul smelling tentacle beings and seemingly docile Chocobos and small brown hares. Because of this, he found no chests, no loot, no gil. He knew he'd try scouring through the Salika Woods once he was more able to fight the things living there off, but for now, he was glad to find himself leaving dense forestry and stepping on actual ground, albeit it being sandy.  
He had reached the Phon Coast. It was a breath of relief for Vaan, and he enjoyed the brisk warm air that greeted him, just as it had when he had returned to the Estersands. The ground was so tangible, so trustworthy, the young man sunk to his knees to feel it through his gloves. This time he knew he had to be ready to fight what was there, or else he'd be more at risk to die the further he progressed. This was exactly what Penelo had feared, he mused, smiling as he smelled the fresh breeze that wafted over the sand and the sea, over the hills and past him.


End file.
